Bonney Lake Nazarene Home Page
Our LINKS Missionaries
Phil, Martha, Philip, and Jason Patalano
Email: patalano@netangola.com
Birthdays
Phil - 07/15
Martha - 01/18
Children:
Philip - 06/28/93
Jason - 12/21/98
Andrew and Judy Bennett
%2004.JPG)
Andrew and Judy Bennett are global missionaries with the Church of the Nazarene. They began serving in February, 2003, working at Kudjip Nazarene Hospital in the Western Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
Andy grew up in a Christian family. His dad was a Nazarene pastor, and the family lived in Washington, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado. He graduated
from Northwest Nazarene College in 1977 with a B.A. in music and in 1980 with
a B.S. in biology. He received his M.D. from the University of Washington School of Medicine in 1984. He completed a residency in family medicine at the University of North Dakota in 1987.
Judy also was raised by Christian parents, and grew up in Lethbridge, Alberta. She attended Canadian Nazarene College, and Northwest Nazarene College, graduating in 1979 with a B.A. degree in speech and hearing therapy.
Andy and Judy met at NNC, and were married in 1975. They have lived in several parts of Washington, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota. They have
three children. Drew is a student at Northwest Nazarene University. Amy and Sam are both with the family in PNG, and attend school on Kudjip Station.
Prior to their appointment as missionaries, Andy served as an Associate Pastor in Washington State from 1975-1977. Later he practiced medicine in Chester, Montana, from 1987-1991, and in Arlington, Washington, from 1991-2002.
Both Andy and Judy have had a lifelong interest and love for missions and are thrilled they have received a call from God to full-time
missions. Their vision is to reach the unsaved through compassionate ministries.
HISTORY
Box Work, now known as LINKS (Loving, Interested Nazarenes, Knowing and Sharing) began on the Southern California District in 1916. The Box Work project grew until, in 1922, a Box Work Committee of three was appointed with Mrs. Paul F. (Ada) Bresee as chair.
In 1976 the LINKS program was introduced, expanding Box Work to the "adoption" of a missionary (active or retired) or missionary family. This involves praying for them, writing letters, providing cash for personal needs, and remembering them on birthdays, at Christmas, and on anniversaries. In 2004 approximately $307,000 was received for 550 missionaries through LINKS.
To effectively pray for missions and the missionaries, personal involvement is essential. The missionaries assigned to your district have given or are giving their all to follow the Great Commission.
A LINKS cash assignment is given for clothing and household article needs. However, the primary emphasis of LINKS is the loving prayer support of Nazarenes worldwide.
CHURCH RESPONSIBILITIES
1. Pray regularly for your LINKS missionaries and their work in church services, prayer meetings, missions services, personal devotions, etc.
2. Correspond regularly with your LINKS missionaries, assuring them of your prayers and support. 3. Inform missionaries when sending a package, so they will know the date it was sent and what the package included.
4. Appoint one contact person who will correspond with the missionaries and share responses with the church. Do not expect a missionary to respond to every card and letter. A missionary is asked to correspond quarterly and to acknowledge the receipt of packages.
5. Send all LINKS money (assignment amount, as well as any personal cash gifts) to Global Treasury Services in Kansas City for Ten Percent Credit. Gifts sent directly to the missionaries are not eligible for Ten Percent Credit.
UNOFFICIAL LINKS
Unofficial LINKS provides additional opportunities for connecting with missionaries by providing some of their "wishes." Some examples are: rolled bandages, sample medicines, linens, school supplies, sewing needs, used clothing, greeting cards, and literature. The NMI Office compiles these requests each year. Send only items listed on the current year's unofficial list.
The updated lists are sent to all district LINKS coordinators in time for their district NMI conventions. The lists are "current" from March to March. All unofficial LINKS requests are listed on the NMI Web site <www.nazarenemissions.org>: "Involvement," "LINKS," "Unofficial LINKS Requests."
DUTY
Send $2.00 to Global Treasury Services for every LINKS and Unofficial LINKS package sent. Checks should be made payable to "General Treasurer" and sent with your local church's remittance form.
1/06